Alcibiades And Athenian Democracy

In ancient Greek history, the Athenian Alcibiades is a dramatic and controversial figure, and he also is an important military commander and politician in the second half of the Peloponnesian War. As some people said, he was probably the cleverest man among the Athenians, who was gifted with talents and abilities; but his moral character and his ambition were discredited by the others, so that historians criticized his corrupt moral and lust for power. No one was ever more remarkable than he, either for vices or virtues in Ancient Greek history. What Nepos said was as follows,"In hoc, quid natura efficere possit, videtur experta. Constat enim inter omnes, qui de eo memoriae prodiderunt, nihil illo fuisse excellentius vel in vitiis vel in virtutibus."Alcibiades is a prominent political elite created by Athenian democracy. Under Alcibiades'enthusiastic advocacy, Athenians decided to take a risk of undertaking Sicilian Expedition, which was filled with dream of Alcibiades and all hope of the Athenians, at last he was appointed one of the General as he wished. But during preparations of the expedition, the Hermai were mutilated by unknown person throughout Athens, and Alcibiades was suspected. Having feared that it would be connected with a plot against the democracy, the Athenians accused Alcibiades of mutilating the statues and of profaning the Eleusinian Mysteries which was a crime accused by delators later on. Finally they recalled Alcibiades who had led his army to Sicily. Having considering the dilemma in which he was placed, Alcibiades fled halfway home and exiled to territory of enemies. After this, Alcibiades was forced to come and go among Sparta, Persia and Athens, and the relationship between Alcibiades and Athenian democracy became a story that was full of exile and return, rivalry and reconcilement, trust and cheat. In short, from rising to prominence in Athens to his death, Alcibiades'honor or disgrace and his complicated relationship with Athenian democracy was one of essential elements of Ancient Greek history at that time.As an elite individual in the Athenian Democracy, Alcibiades'political tragedy was not individual and accidental phenomenon, but it was fate of all the prominent politicians under Athenian democracy. There are several reasons for explaining this phenomenon: first of all, the ideology of guarding against heroes, which was one of the main principles of democracy, deeply rooted in the thoughts of Athenians. Secondly, cruel rule under tyranny shadowed Athens, so Athenians, with the feeling that they hated tyranny stronger than that they loved democracy, wanted to destroy every plot which was attempted to establish tyranny. Finally, ostracism realized the thought of guarding against heroes, and fulfilled the promise of keeping people from danger of tyranny, and ensured the authority and perpetuation of Athenian democracy. In conclusion, the political elites, such as Alcibiades, were created by the institution and rule of Athenian democracy, and then they would obey it and be victimized by it.